


Pictures Of You

by carolinecrane



Category: Monte Carlo (2011)
Genre: F/M, Misses Clause Challenge, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-10
Updated: 2011-12-10
Packaged: 2017-10-27 04:10:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Cordelia Winthrop Scott did not make the tabloids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pictures Of You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nerissa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerissa/gifts).



The first picture appears in _OK!_ , tucked at the end of the Gossip section under the caption “New Love for Cordy?” She scowls at the hated nickname and pulls the page a little closer to her face, squinting at a blurry picture of a girl who looks like Cordelia, hair flying out behind her as a vaguely familiar man hurries her away from the Paparazzi.

It takes her a moment to remember where she's seen the man before, but as for the girl, she'd recognize those split ends and off-the-rack clothes anywhere. Cordelia's looking at a picture of the American who's so fond of impersonating her, and she’s being escorted to safety by that loathsome Frenchman who kissed Cordelia just last year.

She's on the phone to the family lawyer in an instant, demanding a retraction and a full apology from the magazine. As though anyone would believe she'd be caught dead in _capris_ , she thinks to herself as she waits on the line, sighing impatiently until the lawyer comes back on to tell her it’s been taken care of.

She spots the second picture in a copy of _The Sun_ someone leaves behind in first class, and she’s got her phone out to dial the lawyer before she realizes they’re not claiming it’s her this time. When she does she snaps her phone closed, curling manicured fingers around the metal as she scans the article attached to the picture.

There’s no mention of the imposter’s name, but at least they’re not claiming it’s Cordelia who’s slumming with that horrible French person this time. Instead they’re referring to the girl as ‘Theo Marchand’s unknown companion’, before going on to compare her to Cordelia. As though they look anything alike; Cordelia doesn’t dress like a street person, for one thing, and she’d certainly never wander about, even in the unwashed streets of Paris, with her hair flying about her face that way.

The rest of the article goes on to talk about the charity work the Marchand Foundation does with orphans somewhere in Eastern Europe, and Cordelia vaguely recalls something about needy children involved in that travesty of a charity auction where this American girl impersonated her in the first place. When she’s satisfied that she’s not mentioned again Cordelia closes the paper in disgust, flagging down a flight attendant and instructing them to get it out of her sight and bring her a glass of champagne. It doesn’t do much to erase the memory of a smiling girl with her hair hanging around her shoulders, but at least it’s a decent vintage.

By the time Cordelia runs across another photo of them, her imposter has managed to become a bit of a darling in the press. They've learned her name, at any rate – Grace something-or-other – and apparently they have enough of a rapport to talk her into posing for pictures. It probably helps that they let her make a speech about her pet charity every time they photograph her, and before long this Grace person has become something of a media sensation.

Cordelia's friends have all been following the story avidly, of course, delighting in pointing out to her that the tabloids still mention her every time Grace appears in the paper, usually when they're referring to Grace as ‘Cordelia Winthrop Scott’s good twin'. They all find it quite amusing, though Cordelia has no idea why. Just because some American social climber happens to look a bit like her doesn't make her important, and the sooner she sinks back into oblivion, the happier Cordelia will be.

She's had her lawyers working on it since this entire mess began, but so far they claim there's nothing illegal about happening to resemble a celebrity. Cordelia suspects they're not trying hard enough just to spite her.

She still spends her time being seen at all the most exclusive clubs with her friends, still dates the most scandalous men she can think of in the most public way possible, just to annoy her mother. But the cameras aren't following her quite the way they used to, and when there is a story about her it always includes a mention of that other girl, the do-gooder who's saving babies in third world countries or something.

It seems the harder she tries, the more she becomes a footnote to a nobody from the U.S., and the most infuriating part is that this Grace person isn’t even living in England. She’s in _Monte Carlo_ , at least when she and her French boyfriend aren’t off saving the world, and she’s still getting more press in the British tabloids than Cordelia.

The fourth time she sees her ‘good twin’ in the press, it’s a two page color spread in _Hello_. It’s been at least a month since anyone mentioned Grace, since they reminded Cordelia of how much the press adores her and how lovely she is, how she’s never once thrown a room key or a drink or a shoe in anyone’s face.

She’d been hoping perhaps Grace and her Frenchman are back in Romania building wells or reading to blind orphans or whatever they do to entertain themselves, but one day she opens _Hello_ and there she is, smiling back at Cordelia from the glossy pages.

The article starts out in the usual way, by describing the ‘identity mix-up’, as the press refers to the incident in which Grace and her friends blatantly impersonated and then _kidnapped_ Cordelia. It goes on to mention Theo and his family’s charity work, then describes their ‘romance’ in loving detail, as though he’s the first rich man ever to be dim-witted enough to fancy himself in love with a social climber.

There are pictures as well, the largest a shot of Grace smiling right at the camera, looking just as sweet as the press always describes. Cordelia knows better, of course; Grace is the one who tied her up, after all, and that blond cohort of hers is downright evil. But the article doesn’t mention any of that; all it says is that she and Theo fell in love while educating Romanian orphans together, along with a few shots of Grace working in the orphanage, and one candid shot of her in Theo’s arms, head on his shoulder and clearly taken when neither of them realized they were being watched.

“How sweet,” Cordelia announces with a sneer, snapping the magazine closed.

“They are, aren’t they,” a voice says from behind her, and Cordelia’s shoulders tense as she turns to face her aunt. When she turns Alicia’s watching her, arms crossed over her Prada suit jacket and smiling in an infuriating way. “You remember Bernard, Theo’s father? We’re quite close. He says they’re very happy together.”

Cordelia rolls her eyes and doesn’t think of warm lips pressed against hers, big brown eyes staring at her with confusion and something else in the moment before she slapped him. She’s not jealous; she has no interest in some foreign do-gooder, regardless of what’s in his bank account, and she’s certainly not interested in teaching orphans their ABCs. There’s nothing remotely interesting about this Grace Bennett person, and Cordelia can’t for the life of her understand why the Paparazzi or anyone else finds her so fascinating.

“He says Grace is very committed to the charity,” her aunt adds, as though Cordelia is supposed to care. “And thanks to her recognizable face, she’s brought a lot of attention to a very good cause.”

“Please, she looks nothing like me,” Cordelia says, waving off the suggestion as the absurdity it is.

For a moment Alicia just looks at her, lips pressed together in that way that tells Cordelia she’s thinking about launching into a lecture. “No, I suppose there’s not much of a resemblance at that. I admit that she fooled me at first, but from the moment she first spoke to me there was a softness about her I’ve never seen in you. And I must admit, I’ve never seen you looking quite as happy as she does.”

“I’m perfectly happy,” Cordelia snaps, her mouth twisted into an angry line.

“Hmm,” Alicia answers, one eyebrow raised for a moment before she turns and walks away, leaving Cordelia to fume in silence.

After that Cordelia stops reading the tabloids altogether, and whenever one of her friends tries to bring up the subject of Grace Bennett and her ‘fairytale romance’ with Theo Marchand, she grits her teeth and changes the subject. She manages to avoid any mention of this other person who vaguely resembles her until the day she gets a letter postmarked from Paris with her aunt’s name on the return address.

Inside is a clipping from a French newspaper along with a black and white picture of Cordelia’s so-called twin and her...fiance, apparently. Folded inside the envelope is a copy of a wedding announcement, and Cordelia doesn’t have to read it to know who’s getting married.

And it’s no concern of hers, so she has no idea why her aunt would think she’d even be interested. Cordelia scowls at the announcement for another moment, then she looks at the picture again. Grace’s hair is still down, still flying around her face the same way it has in every picture Cordelia’s seen of her. She’s smiling at the camera, arm around Theo’s waist and it’s clear that she’s happier than ever.

No, Cordelia thinks to herself as she drops the announcement and picture into the trash, Grace Bennett doesn’t look anything like her at all.


End file.
